1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer networks and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for administering mobile client devices across locations.
2. Description of the Background Art
Modern businesses employ thousands of employees, many of which may be obliged to travel on a regular or semi-regular basis between and among different company offices or other company business locations. Like many other employees, such “mobile employees” are usually equipped by their respective companies with one or more mobile devices, such as PDAs, mobile phones, laptops, or other computer-related devices. Each mobile device is usually commissioned as a company asset by an information technology (IT) department representative of the respective company before being assigned to the particular employee. Unlike most other employees, however, mobile employees cannot necessarily take for granted that such devices will function smoothly and/or properly each time they operate them at a new or different office or business location. At least one reason for this is that a device that has been made to comply with applicable local standards for operation at one location will often, upon migrating to another location, be found to be deficient with respect to different applicable local standards for making the same connection. For example, upon migrating from one location to another, a set of changes to the device having to do with one or more of the device's configuration settings, such as a time zone setting, various network settings, a preferred file and backup server setting, etc., may be required. Also, or in the alternative, one or more other actions with respect to the mobile device, such as enabling or disabling particular applications resident on the device, or adding/downloading or removing/offloading one or more tools, utilities, data files, etc., may be required as a result of device migration.
Unfortunately, it is not always particularly easy or straightforward for mobile employees to implement the necessary changes to their devices each and every time they move to a location. IT department representatives are usually available via phone to help such mobile employees to implement such changes, or to implement such changes in person, or via remote operation. Nevertheless, such scenarios can still tend to unfold in ways that are frustrating and inconvenient for the mobile employee, who is usually otherwise ready to begin work but must endure the inevitable delay of reconfiguring their device for correct operation. There is a need, therefore, to address the above-mentioned problems.